Now there's a new theory on the block,
called the "many interacting worlds" hypothesis (MIW), and the idea
is just as profound as it sounds. The theory suggests not only that
parallel worlds exist, but that they interact with our world on the
quantum level and are thus detectable.

Though still speculative, the theory may
help to finally explain some of the bizarre consequences inherent in
quantum mechanics,
reports RT.com.

The theory is a spinoff of the
many-worlds interpretation in quantum mechanics - an idea that
posits that all possible alternative histories and futures are
real,
each representing an actual, though parallel, world.

One problem with the many-worlds
interpretation, however, has been that it is fundamentally untestable, since observations can only be made in our
world. Happenings in these proposed "parallel" worlds can thus only
be imagined.

MIW, however, says otherwise.

It
suggests that parallel worlds can interact on the quantum
level, and in fact that they do...

"The idea of parallel universes in
quantum mechanics has been around since 1957," explained Howard
Wiseman, a physicist at Griffith University in Brisbane,
Australia, and one of the physicists to come up with MIW.

"In the well-known 'Many-Worlds
Interpretation', each universe branches into a bunch of new
universes every time a quantum measurement is made. All
possibilities are therefore realized - in some universes the
dinosaur-killing asteroid missed Earth. In others, Australia was
colonized by the Portuguese."

"But critics question the reality of
these other universes, since they do not influence our universe
at all," he added. "On this score, our 'Many-Interacting
Worlds'
approach is completely different, as its name implies."

Howard Wiseman and colleagues have proposed
that there exists,

"a universal force of repulsion between 'nearby'
(i.e. similar) worlds, which tends to make them more dissimilar."

Quantum effects can be explained by
factoring in this force, they propose.

Whether or not the math holds true will
be the ultimate test for this theory. Does it or does it not
properly predict quantum effects mathematically? But the theory is
certain to provide plenty of fodder for the imagination.

For instance, when asked about whether
their theory might entail the possibility that humans could someday
interact with other worlds, Wiseman said:

"It's not part of our theory. But
the idea of [human] interactions with other universes is no
longer pure 'fantasy'."

What might your life look like if you
made different choices?

Maybe one day you'll be able to look
into one of these alternative worlds and find out.